


No more Masks, No more Secrets.

by unacaritafeliz



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: 'can Rae even write non-angsty ML?' YES, Friendship, Gen, it's not angst, more focused on friendships than relationships tbh, there is still crying though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 07:40:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9646721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unacaritafeliz/pseuds/unacaritafeliz
Summary: ""Ladybug, as you know you and Chat Noir were given your miraculous when Nooroo's miraculous was compromised and Hawkmoth became a threat," says Fu. "Before that, they were kept with me, as they were unneeded."The croissant falls from Marinette's hand as the world fades around her. The words echo around her head. Master Fu's meaning is as plain as day, but she can't quite process how he could be saying it."You want my miraculous," she says, softly."[Hawkmoth is defeated, Adrien's in hiding and Paris no longer needs Ladybug and Chat Noir.]





	

Marinette ducks under the awning of Master Fu's doorstep and shuts Adrien's umbrella with a snap. It had been a long and stressful week for her and she'd been looking forward to a Saturday morning of well deserved rest before meeting Alya, Nino and the rest of their class at the Agreste Mansion at noon. Tikki had other plans though, and had forced her out into the cold and the rain to meet with Master Fu at 10am.

She knocks on the door, which immediately opens to reveal Wayzz, Master Fu's green Kwami, and Nooroo, the butterfly Kwami smiling at her. Marinette briefly wonders how the two small creatures managed too open the heavy door, but she's too tired to really care about it. She's long since accepted that the abilities of Kwami will always be able to surprise her.

"Bonjour Mademoiselle Ladybug," Wayzz says. They either don't notice or don't care that they were currently talking to an untransformed Marinette. "Master Fu is in the dining room. Please follow me."

Marinette drops Adrien's umbrella on the doorstep and unbuttons her coat, letting Tikki out into the warmth of Master Fu's house. Leaving her rain-covered boots at the door, she following Wayzz and Nooroo into the dining room, where she finds Master Fu sitting at the head of the dining table, pouring tea into two regular sized mugs, and three smaller, Kwami-sized teacups. There's breakfast spread on the table, and Marinette's stomach grumbles at the sight of it. In true Marinette style, she wasn't up quite early enough to grab breakfast before arriving.

"Good morning Ladybug," says Fu. "Good morning, Tikki. Please sit down and have some breakfast."

Marinette sits next to Master Fu, placing a small croissant onto her plate and passing a cookie to her kwami. As hungry as she is, she knows she can get as much food as she wants to when she gets home, and she isn't quite sure that her partner can. Chat Noir had felt so small and bony when she'd curled up against him after the final battle. She wants enough food left for him when he presumably comes to visit the Guardian.

"Chat Noir was here early this morning," Fu says, with a knowing smile. He passes a piece of watermelon to Wayzz. "He's a morning person, unlike you. There was a lot more food here before he came to visit including some nice cheese I have since run out of. Even after all this time, I still underestimate Plagg's appetite."

Tikki giggles at antics of her partner while Marinette smiles at the thought of hers. It was good to know that someone was taking good care of her Chaton. She takes another croissant from the plate in front of her and bites into it. It's not quite as good as the ones her Papa makes, but it's warm and fresh and delicious anyway.

"I must congratulate you on your success against Hawkmoth," says Fu. "You and Chat both fought well. You should be proud of yourself."

"Thank you," Marinette replies. "I'm glad Hawkmoth is no longer a threat."

"And I trust your body has recovered from the exertion?" Fu questions.

If Marinette didn't know the Guardian so well, she may have been offended by the casual tone of Master Fu's question. The amount of physical, mental and emotional effort that went into defeating Hawkmoth could never be classified as mere 'exertion'. She'd collapsed with Chat on a rooftop for hours after, falling asleep in a tangled piled of limbs. They'd untransformed during that time, of course, but they hadn't looked at each other. Surprisingly, it had been Chat who had requested the secrecy, claiming he was far too exhausted to properly process a reveal after the fight. She was too tired to care either way, but agreed with her partner.

"It has," Marinette says. "I can actually move without pain now. I'm sure the miraculous helped with that."

"The Miraculous does help heal physical damage," says Fu. "Although, you still look tired, Ladybug."

She was tired. Despite the exhaustion of the fight last Saturday, she'd only been given one day's rest before she had to return to school and deal with homework and Chloe and the absence of Adrien. The latter had lead to her camping outside the Agreste Mansion every day after school with Alya and Nino fighting with the unrelating staff about their need to see Adrien, leading to a lot of late nights, a lot of worrying, and an even more exhausted Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

"I've been worried about the Agreste Family," Marinette admits, with a sigh, as she picks up her second croissant. "Hawkmoth's family."

She still can't quite believe it; that Hawkmoth had turned out to be the brother of her favourite fashion designer, the uncle of one of the boys she loved. It was some kind of cruel turn of fate, and she honestly didn't blame Adrien for shutting himself up in his room for a week, not even answering when Ladybug herself knocked on his bedroom window. She hadn't been able to keep his uncles identity a secret, she hadn't been able to protect his family.

"The identity of Hawkmoth does not reflect on his family, Ladybug," says Nooroo. 

"Monsieur Gabriel Agreste will recover from his brother's actions," adds Fu. "It might even turn him into a better man, now that he knows the true power of negative emotions and emotional detachment."

"Monsieur Agreste is not the one I'm worried about," mutters Marinette.

"Oh, yes," says Fu, with a smile, "I forgot that you are quite fond of the young Monsieur Agreste. His name is Adrien, is it not?"

"Adrien Agreste is my friend," Marinette says, feeling her face heat up. "And I know he is hurting. I just wish there was something we could do for him, as miraculous holders. Some way the miraculous could help him heal..."

"There is nothing more that Ladybug can do for Adrien Agreste," Fu says. "However, I think there is a lot that Marinette Dupain-Cheng can do for him."

Marinette sighs. Marinette Dupain-Cheng had never done anything good or helpful to Adrien in her life. All she'd ever done is let her feelings for him push him far enough away that she had to spend her time fighting Nathalie to see him.

"Speaking of what Marinette Dupain-Cheng can do," says Wayzz, interrupting her thought stream. "I think it is time to tell you why we called you here."

"Right," Fu says. "Ladybug, as you know you and Chat Noir were given your miraculous when Nooroo's miraculous was compromised and Hawkmoth became a threat. Before that, they were kept with me, as they were unneeded."

The croissant falls from Marinette's hand as the world fades around her. The words echo around her head. Master Fu's meaning is as plain as day, but she can't quite process how he could be saying it.

"You want my miraculous," she says, softly.

"Oh, she's much faster than Chat," Nooroo whispers.

"We've found that the miraculous does more harm than good when it's not needed," Fu explains. "I can understand that this may be hard for you..." 

Something inside Marinette snaps. Her blood runs hot with hurt and anger. She can't lose her miraculous. If she lost her miraculous she'd lose everything; her Kwami, her identity, her partner. She couldn't do it, she wouldn't do it. How could they even ask her to?

"You can't have my miraculous!" She yells, hands flying to her earrings as she gets to her feet, inadvertedly knocking her chair over and pushing the table a few inches across the ground.

"Marinette, please calm down," says Tikki, flying up to Marinette's face. "Please, Marinette, you have to listen."

"You're on their side?" Marinette exclaims, looking at her Kwami. "You want to leave me?"

"No, Marinette, of course I don't want to leave you," says Tikki. "I always hate having to leave my Ladybugs. But this is the way it has to be, Marinette."

"You will always be Ladybug," says Wayzz. "Even without your miraculous."

"And should the time come when we need Ladybug to rise again, we will know where to find you," says Fu.

"But the miraculous cannot be wielded when they are not needed," says Wayzz. "There are enough lessons in kwami history as to why that is a bad idea".

"They're right, Marinette," says Tikki. "It really is for your own good that you give up your miraculous."

Marinette glares at her Kwami, tears in her eyes. Nothing that was good for her could ever hurt this much.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" she asks.

"Well..." says Nooroo. "No, not really."

"Tikki and your miraculous will return here at midnight," says Wayzz.

"I'm sorry, Ladybug," says Fu.

Marinette slumps into her chair and buries her face in her hands. Pressing her palms into her eyes, she tries to will away the scene around her.

"If it makes you feel any better, Chat Noir destroyed half the room when we told him," says Nooroo.

"Am I ever going to see him again after today?" Marinette asks, hand still covering her face. She can't breathe. She can't lose two of her four best friends at the same time. The thought of being without Tikki and Chat is too much to process.

"That's completely up to the two of you, Marinette," says Tikki.

"But something tells me you're going to want to," Nooroo mutters.

Marinette lifts her head up and looks around the table. She feels as unsure about ceasing to be Ladybug as she felt about having to be her but she knows that just like she had no choice in whether or not she wanted to be Ladybug, she now had no choice in whether or not she wanted to stop.

"Okay," she says, slowly. "Well... I should... I should spend the day with Tikki then, I guess. To say goodbye. Thanks for breakfast, Master Fu. Tikki, spots on!"

Marinette goes through the motions of the transformation, letting the cool latex of her suit cover her skin. Knowing that it will be one of her last transformation severely dampens the adrenaline rush of become Ladybug. As soon as the pink light fades from around her, she heads towards the door.

"Ladybug," Fu calls after her. "Thank you, for your service."

Ladybug stops and turns to face him. She holds her head high.

"You're welcome," she says.

Grabbing Adrien's umbrella, Ladybug throws out her yoyo and flies out into the morning, letting the door close behind her with a bang.


End file.
